Category Archives: Toronto Cartoonists Workshops

There’s a character in the Kevin Smith film CHASING AMY who inks comics for a living, and his friends call him a professional tracer. He complains that he’s not, but convinces no one, and the movie was a minor box office hit, so it left that defining moment in America’s brain.

Banky Edwards during a moment of self-loathing

When it first started up in the 90s, the inkers at Image Comics, were working with prima donna pencilers who insisted their work be reproduced as faithfully as possible and forced their inkers to actually BE “tracers”. This further convinced a generation of comic fans that inkers were barely trained monkeys with a sweatshop tool in their unskilled paw.

un-inked pencils by Erik Larsen. The inker better not get "creative".

And of course, there’s always just running the pencils through a photoshop filter. Screw the inker, who needs ‘em? They’re only messing up my work.

But the inker is the essential last hand on the drawing. He or she is the one that makes the artwork lively, or bold, or personable, or slick, or capricious. They are the singer of the song. The human hand. The Deus Ex Machina: The creator emerges from the machine.

Consider your favorite comic book or graphic novel: A CONTRACT WITH GOD, MAUS, WATCHMEN, BATMAN YEAR ONE, RED HULK POUNDS HIS ENEMIES TO DEATH, BLANKETS, SIN CITY, V FOR VENDETTA, or Name Your Own Favorite…

pictured above: Knowing what you're doing.

Every one of these magnificent examples of the form has a distinct and memorable kind of line work. It’s built into the character of each story, inseparable to the experience, and to treat this essential skill with little more than a backhand slap is to misunderstand what makes comics the appealing form of media that they are.

Ty the Guy OUT!

PS: If you’re in Toronto tonight, drop in for my “Drawing the Figure” drop in class. 25 bucks at the door for three hours with a live burlesque model, and an instructor who knows anatomy! Who says this isn’t the TCW Age of Learnin’?

(AND Ty is teaching Writing for Comics Level One, Mondays, starting January 16, 7-10pm. There’s still some spots available. And there’s a special deal if you’ve taken Level One before, and you’d like to repeat it before taking Level Two in March; 50% off of Level One. contact Sean Menard through info@cartoonistsworkshop.com for details.

AND Ty is teaching a full course for Figure Drawing for the Comic Book Artist. Featuring a different model each Wednesday evening, beginning January 25 7-10pm, with instruction from Ty. Spaces still available, but they are limited for this course. Keiren)

I promised ’em, and here they come: more sneak peaks at the new TORONTO CARTOONISTS WORKSHOP comic that EVERYONE’S talking about in reverent awe.

As if the last blog entry wasn’t enough to send everyone into fidgety anticipation of Friday’s launch of the newest issue, I’m back again to give out the free samples of what awaits our legion of readers when the book gets published on Friday. I’ve seen the whole book, so I know how wonderful it is, but I envy you people getting to see it for the first time.

Our next preview pages are from the delightful team of Mighty Mike Marano scripting, Gorgeous Grant Howarth layouts and grey tones, and introducing Killer Kellam Templeton-Smith on inks.

There's nothing worse that having a computer come to murder you, just because of your name!

I wonder what that guy is going to look like when he crawls out of the computer core…I suspect it looks really cool. I suspect the story is equally gripping! We never give you readers less than the best.

Next, the first of TWO entries by Racin’ Rob Pincombe, our assistant editor, and easily the hardest working man in comics, no matter what you hear about Tom Brevoort.

The MIND SPIDERS OF MADAGASCAR…written by Rob and beautifully illustrated by Dapper Dawnson Chen. Warning: If you have a phobia about Mind-Spiders, you might want to look away, and latecomers will not be seated during the fight sequence with the SPIDER-QUEEN!

We’d like to tell you, but we have to move on to another thrill-a-minute mystery. The script for this oceanic opus was written by the Amazing Yolanda Cheung, who intended to draw the tale herself, but was called away by a higher duty. Racin’ Rob and Killer Kellam stepped in on the art chores at the last minute, and I’ll be darned if they didn’t knock it out of the park! You heard me right- the writer of the last story, stepped in and drew this next one, and the inker for OLD WOUNDS, stepped in an inked another one. This is the sort of dedication that you readers deserve.

Who doesn’t love an old man kicking ass in a transforming aquatic wheelchair? Can I get a witness?

And wait until you witness THIS western tale. Written by “Calamity” Kathleen Gallagher, with art by Dynamite Danny Setna! Kathleen’s had a few stories under her belt, and we’ve come to expect genius from her (which she never fails to deliver), but this is Danny’s first time in print anywhere, and yeehaw, that boy surprised us editin’ hombres with his detailed line-work!

Is there anything more wonderful than a crime spree that just MIGHT involve non-farting cows? I told you Kathleen writes a fun script.

Don’t forget, you can still download issue #1 (with stories by Rob Pincombe, Kathleen Gallagher, Mike Marano, and a host of other clever writers, teamed up with artists as impressively skilled as you’re seeing up above) all for free at a bunch of digital comix websites you can find HERE at the Holmes Inc Hompage on the Web.

Wait, did you say “FREE”?

Yes I did. And issue #2 will be free in just a matter of days as well. We want you to see these amazing, soon-to-be-stars before Marvel, DC, IDW and Dark Horse snatch them away from us and pay ’em what they’re worth. (Note to Marvel, DC, IDW and Dark Horse editors: Please snatch these guys away from us and pay ’em what they’re worth!)

“This action packed course will teach students story construction, character development, dialogue, plotting, as well as pitching and editing a script for the comics industry. Students will explore the different formats and techniques of comic script writing (including Marvel style and full script) while creating their own characters and stories. While basic writing skills are helpful, they are not necessary.”

Ty promises that you can’t possibly have writer’s block after taking this course! The course starts Monday, July 11, 7-10pm. Contact Sean Menard for registration info.

(actually planning to take this myself, yes, even though I live in the same house as the guy—it’s such a jam-packed course that there’s no way he can teach it twice in a week, so it’s probably best I just turn up in class!)

Like this:

If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you probably know I teach classes at the Toronto Cartoonist Workshop when I’m not drawing stuff for comics (and writing stuff for comics). Today’s an anatomy class, and I prepared a couple of handouts, showing the development of the arm and shoulders from a simple skeletal form to a finished one. They’re fun little examples and I thought I’d show off a couple of today’s handouts, just so you guys can see what you’re missing by not coming ’round to the Workshop and hanging out.

The headless woman claps her hands above her neck hole...

More of today’s handouts:

All right, that’s enough knowledge bombs for today. You’ve got the working understanding of the arms now, go draw an issue of the Hulk, already!

Ty the Guy OUT!

Here now, your bonus comic book anatomy moment:

The drawing of Cap on the left is by Rob Liefeld...the drawing on the right was drawn anonymously, but it shows off the level of anatomical drawing skill that Rob is known for.

Like this:

For those of you in the Greater Toronto Area, there are still a few spaces available in Toronto Cartoonists Workshop workshops. Ty will be teaching his WORLD-FAMOUSComic Book Bootcamp Part 1(he’s starting to infect me with his all-caps!), on Mondays and Tuesdays.

As some of you might recall, last year, the school I teach at (Toronto Cartoonists Workshop) put out their first issue of an all new adventure comic series “Holmes Inc.” It was a wonderful experience for all concerned. lovely to read, well reviewed, and enjoyed by all who got a copy. (I think there are still a few available…we’ll get to how to order one in a minute…) Impossible as it was to believe, most of the work in the issue was from heretofore unpublished, first time comic book artists and writers, ready to burst onto the scene and kick Joe Quesada and Jim Lee around the block a few times with their upstart-y enthusiasm and skills.

Anything with exploding aircraft and wheelchairs on the cover can’t be all bad, right? And I THINK it had something to do with Sherlock Holmes and his descendants fighting world crime in the 21st Century.

Well, it’s starting up again…for issue #2. In just a few short weeks, the gears start gearing and the submissions start submitting. If you have graduated from any of the TCW classes (especially comic book bootcamp, storytelling or writing) and want to join in the fun for round #2 then head on over to the TCW homepage and let the king of TCW, Sean Menard, know that you want to play too.

I hope to see some of the newer students head out this year, as well as welcoming back some of the creative studs and studdettes that helped make our first issue so good.

Oh, and if you can’t live another moment without your personal copy of issue #1, called “The Best Sherlock Holmes Comic Book Ever” (by my mother and some of my neighbours), then let Sean know your troubles when you contact him, and he’ll get one out to you. A measly six bucks for 52 solid pages of tomorrow’s superstars is a pittance to pay.

The holiday is over, and I’m back at my post, teaching comic book courses at the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop tomorrow. Besides writing and drawing comics for a living, I also instruct on how you guys can waste your life doing the same things. Classes for the scriptwriting courses are more or less filled up (though I think we can squeeze one last student in before we run out of space) but the layout and storytelling courses have about five empty chairs as of now. If anyone’s interested in learning the ropes of comic layout, and you live in the Toronto area, then get in touch with Sean Menard, the Workshop’s fearless leader (Call 647-328-1656. E-mail info@cartoonistsworkshop.com ), and give him a shout, the classes are more fun when they’re filled up. You learn more from the other students than you’d expect.

Shameless plug over, back to drawing Spider-Man, Homer and the gang. (And no, I’m not drawing a cross-over, as cool as that would be…I’ve merely got two gigs on top of each other this month….bragging bastard that I am.)